Sign



J. A. JONES.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR-1, 1920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHHzTSSHEET L J. A. JONES.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR-1| 1920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- jnvenio James 09'. Jon/e6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ANDREW JONES, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

Y sren'.

T 0 all whomit may concewr:

Be it known that I, JAMEs-A. JoNEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to advertisin devices and is intended more particularly to provide a sign for use upon motor vehicles. The invention seeks to provide a sign which will be attractive and which will prominently display any desired announcements without the use of parts projecting beyond the lines of the vehicle body and liable tobe broken or destroyed by chance blows, and without involving any departure from the established lines of the vehicle body.

The invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings,- in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a. portion of an automobile body having the improved sign appliedthereto;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sign;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section;

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the inner face of the outer wall of the display chamher.

The vehicle body 1 may be of any preferred design and is, of course, equipped with the usual door 2 to which the invention is applied in the illustrated embodiment. The body of an automobile, including the door, is usually a hollow frame and this fact is utilized in the practice of my invention, the drawing showing the inven tion applied to the door although it may be applied to any other part of the body. In carrying out the invention, the outer plate, wall, or panel 3 of the door has an opening 4 formed in its upper portion and a pane of transparent material 5' is secured in the frame of the door in rear of the said opening so as to cover the same. This transparent pane may be glass, mica, or any other material having the necessary light-transmitting qualities. The edges of the opening 5 may be given an ogee form so as to have an ornamental effect, as indicated at 6, and against the rear wall 7 of the door frame, I secure a mirror or reflector 8 which may be of highly polished glass or metal as may be preferred. At an intermediate point at the hei ht of the door, a transverse partition 9 is ormed therein to support alamp 10 Specification of LettersPatent.

PatentedJan. 17,1922. 1920. Serial No. 370,532. I

whereby the pocket or chamber formed by the partition, the top 11 of the door, and the front and rear walls of the door frame may be illuminated. This lamp 10 will preferably be an electric lamp located entirely below the lower edge 12 of the opening 4.- so that it will not be visible unless the observertakes a position close to the body where he may look downwardly through the. transparent cover 5 to the bottom ofthe pocket or chamber. The conductors 13 which supply the current to the lamp may extend throughthe artition 9 and may then be diverted so t at one of them will form a grounded connection with a metallic plate at the bottom of the door frame and the return current will pass through the metal portions of the vehicle body to the grounded terminal 14 of the battery or magneto, indicated conventionplates being set in the hinged edge of the door frame and the other plate set in the frame of the vehicle so that when the door is closed these plates will be brought into intimate contact. The plates are, of course, insulated from their surroundings so that current will be properly transmitted. The lamp may be fed from a storage battery housed in the door or the body frame below the partition 9 in an obvious manner if preferred.

The transparent cover or pane 5 may be held in place in any desired manner and the reflector 8 may also be secured in position in any convenient or preferred manner. I have shown end strips 20 having grooves 21 to receive the end edges of the pane while the top and bottom edges of the pane are received in grooves in the top 11 and the partition 9. A backing plate 22 is secured over the inner side of the pane and is shaped to conform to the opening 4. I have shown the edges of the mirror fitted in a frame 23 which is secured to the end strips 20, the top 11 and the partition 9 by any convenient fastening devices and bears against the back plate 7. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the

' rame23 is connected to the door by hinges 24 so that. the entire frame may be swung away from the outer panel or wall of the door to permit access to the sign chamber when necessary or desirable.

The matter tobe displayed will be so arranged that it will be reflected in the mirror and may be read therein through the transparent pane 5. An inscription may beainted or otherwise placed upon the re ector and inscriptions may be placed upon the partition 9 and upon the end strips 20, as

shown. All these inscriptions will be reflected in the mirror so that an advertisement will be brought before an observer from whatever angle the device may vbe viewed. Small accessories, indicated at 25, may be mounted in holders 26 upon the backing plate 22 and, besides serving advertising purposes, will be available in emergencies. It is thought to be obvious from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that a sign embodying my'invention will be attractive and may be easily read. The mirror or reflector will attract attention and cause the subject-matter of the sign to stand out prominently from its surroundings, and,

at nlght, when the sign is illuminated by the lamp within the pocket or chamber of the door, the light showing through the transparent pane carrying the sign will serve to make the same conspicuous so that the desired publicity will be fully attained. The tools and accessories in the holders 26 are concealed from direct view although they may be viewed by reflection in the mirror. They will, consequently, not detract from the sightliness of the vehicle but may be readily found when desired for ,use or their characteristics observed by prospective purchasers. As the back wall or frame may be swung inwardly to afford access to the chamber, the holders 26 furnish an advantageous means for carrying the tools found in-the usual repair kit inasmuch as they cannot be easily abstracted by unauthorized persons and will not interfere with the comfort of the occupants of the vehicle while at the same time they may be easily withdrawn when repairs or adjustments become necessary. v v My improved sign does not addany weight to the vehicle nor does it involve the employment of any projecting parts which are liable to be broken by chance blows or damaged if the door should be violentl opened nor does it interfere in any way ith the ordinary use of the door. The partition 9 will preferably be of insulation so as to avoid the formation of arcs or leakage and dissipation of the current at the base of the lamp and the reflector or mirror may be secured in the door in any desired manner.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

An advertising medium comprising a portable chamber having opaque wallsand provided with a sight opening through itsfrontiwall, a transparent covering extending over the entire sight opening and held fixedly to the front wall by the end walls of the chamber, a backing strip secured over the transparent coverin around the edges of the sight opening, a rame extending between the end walls of the chamber at the rear thereof, and hingedly secured to one end wall, a mirror carried by said .frame and constituting the back wall of the chamber, the top, bottom and side walls of the chamber being adapted tocarry announcements in reversed letters hidden from direct view bythe front wall but readable in the mirror, and article holders on the saidbacking strip around the sight opening whereby articles fitted therein will be hidden by the front wall of the chamber but may be Viewed by reflection in the mirror.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES ANDREW JONES, [14. 5.] 

